C&C 27 Association – Deck layouts

How the deck is to be laid out depends to a large extent on what the boat will
be used for, and on the size and skill level of her crew.

Two of the boats shown here use deck organizers. In a seemingly retrograde step,
a successful crew on a similarly sized boat has switched to separate, identical
turning blocks forward instead of deck organizers. The advantage is that if a deck
organizer is damaged (admittedly a rare occurence), the whole fitting may become
unusable. Individual, identical turning blocks can be swapped around, so a block
from a less important function can be swapped into the position of one that has
been damaged.

Selene

Kat's Paw I

Towser

If you race, you may want to put the spinnaker and headsail halyards on the
same side, so the handler has them together. Having them on
the high side is a nice idea, but remember that the high side
changes, as most boats approach the weather mark on starboard
tack and the leeward mark on port gybe. Take your pick, but
here's one rationale for putting the genoa and spinnaker clutches
on the port side.

"On a triangular course, you typically approach the leeward mark (third
mark) on a port tack. Since the spinnaker take-down is typically the point
of maximum confusion, noise and screw-up, I find it handy to have the halyard
clutches on the high side at this time, away from the actual spinnaker coming
in under the boom and over the lifelines.

"Also, whenever we are running a windward-leeward course, we still
prefer to come in to the leeward mark on port tack, as this
simplifies the issue of hardening up on the genoa and driving
out from the mark. So again, the port side becomes the high
side, keeping the person working the cabin-top high and away
from the person tailing the genoa."
– Marcus Opitz, Carriden

Marcus doesn't emphasize it, but there's also value in keeping
people apart in the confines of our rather small cockpits.

Do you have or have you seen an interesting alternative? Use the submission guidelines found in The Fleet.